The legal careers in great britain

Section I

The Legal Profession

Exercise 1

Pronunciation Practice

Practice saying the words.

/ [s] before e, i, y (e.g. justice)

a) c

\ [k] in other cases (e.g. case)

criminal	evidence
suspect	decision
prosecute	process
respect	solicitor
community	advice
court	practice
accused	sentence

b) Mind the stress changed

noun	verb
a súspect	to suspéct
a cónduct	to condúct
an éxport	to expórt
an ímport	to impórt
but: a séntence	to séntence
a wítness	to wítness

Exercise 2

Supply the missing forms of the words.

	Verb	Noun	Adjective/Participle
1	...	justice	...
2	suspect	...	...
3	prosecute	...	...
4	...	advice	...
5	argue	...	...
6	...	defence	...
7	accuse	...	...
8	...	...	ruling

Exercise 3

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word. Determine the part of speech of the missing words.

to suspect	The police … that the thefts were committed by the staff members.
to advise	He is the company's legal … .
to argue	The barrister presented … for the prosecution.
to accuse	The police brought the … into the court.
to rule	The … of the Supreme Court govern practice and procedure in the Supreme Court.

Text 1

Who is Who in the Law?

Pre-reading task: Skim the text and make its plan.

The process of criminal justice in England and Wales begins when the police arrest a suspect. Then they decide whether they have enough evidence to prosecute – to send the suspect for trial. In serious cases this decision is made by the Director of Public Prosecution, who is a senior law official.

If you are prosecuted for a crime in Britain, you may meet the following people during your process through the courts:

MAGISTRATES. Magistrates are unpaid judges, usually chosen from well-respected people in the local community. They are not legally qualified. They are guided on points of law by an official, the clerk who has legal training. There are magistrates' courts in most towns.

SOLICITORS. After the accused person has been arrested, the first person he/she needs to see is a solicitor. Solicitors are qualified lawyers who advise the accused and help prepare the defence case. The solicitor may represent the accused in court. A person who is too poor to afford a solicitor will usually get legal aid – financial help from the state.

BARRISTERS. In more serious cases, or where there are special legal difficulties, it is usual for the solicitor to hire a barrister to defend the accused. The barrister in trained in the law and in the skills required to argue a case in court. The barrister for the defence will be confronted by his/her opposite number, the prosecuting barrister, who represents the state. Legal aid is available to pay for defence barristers.

JUDGES. Judges are trained lawyers, nearly always ex-barristers, who sit in the Crown Court and Appeal Court. The judge rules on points of law, and makes sure that the trial is conducted properly. He/she does not decide on the guilt or innocence of the accused – that is the jury's job. However, if the jury find the accused guilty, then the judge will pass a sentence.

Exercise 4

Match the English words to their Russian equivalents.

1 criminal justice	a решать судебное дело
2 well-respected people	b уголовное судопроизводство
3 to decide a case	c правовая помощь
4 point of law	d адвокат обвинения
5 legal aid	e адвокат защиты
6 defence barrister	f вопрос права
7 prosecuting barrister	g уважаемые люди
8 to find guilty	h выносить приговор
9 to pass sentence	i признать виновным

Exercise 5

a) Match two columns to make word-combinations and translate them.

1 to give	a for trial
2 to send	b on points of law
3 to make	c evidence
4 to prosecute	d an accused
5 to guide	e trial
6 to represent	f sentence
7 to conduct	g for a crime
8 to pass	h decision

b) Fill in the blanks with the correct word-combinations (from part a):

1. At the end of the trial the judge … .

2. The witness was asked … for the prosecution.

3. A barrister for the defence … during the trial.

Exercise 6

Match the definitions to a term:

1 a person whom the police think has committed a crime;	a magistrates
2 unpaid judges;	b a suspect
3 an official of a magistrates' court (qualified lawyer);	c guilt
4 to act on behalf of someone;	d innocent
5 state of having committed a crime;	e to represent
6 not being guilty.	f clerk

Exercise 7

Answer the questions to the text:

1. What must the police have in order to send a suspect for trial?

2. Do magistrates have legal qualification?

3. Who helps magistrates on points of law?

4. What are the main functions of a solicitor in a criminal case?

5. Who hires a barrister to defend the accused?

6. What special skills does a barrister possess?

7. Who will provide legal aid to poor people?

8. Judges are often ex-barristers, aren't they?

9. What are the main functions of a judge?

Exercise 8

Fill in the table with the information from the text.

Job	Place of work	Functions
1 solicitor
2 barrister
3 magistrate
4 clerk
5 judge